MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

-Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership

and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa
-In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirement for the
Master of Arts in Education for Teacher Leadership in American International
Schools
-By
Louisa Waring
American School of Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
May 3rd, 2015
-Dr. Timothy Gilson

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Passion, authenticity, commitment, the ability to problem solve are necessary

skills required of leaders to facilitate student learning in the 21st century. Through the
Orientation of ISSL and Educational Leadership, the texts required in this course, and my
five years as an educator, I am beginning to understand what I feel makes an effective
leader and the values and skills that I have to become an effective leader in schools today.
Being a leader is a choice. As Ramsey (2006) addresses in his book, Lead, Follow or Get
Out of the Way, and the Teacher Leader Model Standards (Teacher Leadership, 2011)
outline, there are many learned skills and strategies that a leader can be taught, nurtured,
and sharpened (p. xxvi). I believe the four traits I address in this work are inherent
values that set effective leaders apart from the rest.
Just as our students have adapted to a rapidly changing world, so have our
teachers. Therefore leaders have had to shift their style and strategies to meet the needs of
their teachers and students. But I believe one characteristic will never shift. Being
authentic and true to ones genuine self still holds true in the 21st century more than ever.
Ramsey (2006) says that although leaders and their followers have changed and leaders
have taken more of a coaching role, demonstrating human values such as truth, trust,
mentoring, openness, risk taking, giving credit, sharing the blame, honesty, and caring
(p. 32), are characteristics that are still valued and shown in effective leaders today. Being
transparent about your vision for the school and in your decision-making builds morale
and helps you get the most out of your staff.
I believe that in my own leadership as my grade level Numeracy Lead Teacher I
have shown to be an honest, caring, and authentic leader by showing my dedication to

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

student learning and building a positive climate and community in many ways. I have
built a rapport with the students, parents, and most of all the faculty and staff at the
American School of Dubai. I have been lucky to be a part of amazing teams where we
feel safe sharing ideas and comfortable learning from one another. I do not think that
would be possible without having a positive community built on trust and honesty. In
order to maintain this community, I have shown compassion when learning with
colleagues and I genuinely respect the expertise each of my colleagues brings to our
meetings. I lead by example in meetings by being present, contributing in the
conversation, and listening and learning from my colleagues. Being my authentic self and
staying true to my ideals to meet the needs of my students helped promote a collaborative
culture focused on student learning.
Commitment to student and professional learning and the vision and mission of
your school is imperative for an effective leader. I am constantly reminded of the mission
we have at the American School of Dubai. Our administration, faculty, and staff are
mission and vision driven. All decisions and planning strategically align with our mission
as a school.
Ramsey (2006) states:
Effective leaders use their mission statement to stay focused and to keep them
honest while planning for the future. Other uses include helping leaders allocate
resources, prioritize tasks, clarify issues, manage time, motivate staff, channel
energies, stay grounded, and remain humble. (p. 20)
The mission involves all members of our community and connects us all to a common
goal. It is written on our walls, it is shared at faculty and parent meetings, and is

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

reiterated throughout the entire school. Being an advocate for our mission has supported
faculty and staff to constantly focus on student learning and promote our own
professional learning.
Domain III and Domain IV in The Teacher Leader Model Standards (Teacher
Leadership, 2011) remind effective leaders to promote professional learning for
continuous improvement and facilitate improvement in instruction and student learning to
meet the needs of our students and align with our mission and vision as a school. As
teachers and leaders, we must promote lifelong learning in our students and ourselves.
Professional development, reflective conversations, and collecting, analyzing, and using
data from recent research and in our classroom keep our commitment to our mission and
to student learning. Our Kindergarten team had no prior experience with
our primary teaching resource in Mathematics during its adoption
therefore we were all new learners. By organizing meetings with clear
objectives, I facilitated a community of professional learning. I created
opportunities for my team to explore and familiarize themselves with
Common Core State Standards and our math program, We were able to
use our curriculum meeting times to refine and consolidate our
learning and focus on using best practices in Math. All of this has been
achieved through my clear communication and delegation, sharing
responsibility between each team member and coordinating effective
conversations. Through this work, my colleagues and I shared our
commitment to our schools mission by challenging our students and
our own thinking.

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

No matter what type of leader you are, all leaders are doers, thinkers, and
problem solvers. Ramsey (2006) states Leaders think about what they want to happen
tomorrow and then do what it takes today to bring it about (p. 104). Effective leaders
must be proactive and anticipatory thinkers. "Anticipatory thinking" is vital to an
international school's success and the effectiveness of a leader. Our international school
community is ever changing. Staying up-to-date on trends, latest international news, and
educational theories and curricula is very important in our international community. A
teacher leader always needs to be proactive, instead a reactive. They need to be one step
ahead of everyone else. Even though the international schools' big picture has become
more of a "kaleidoscope," the tried and true methods of "visioning, goal setting, and
strategic planning still work." (Ramsey, 2006, p. 108). Keeping your school mission and
goals as the main priority allow you to be a successful and effective leader and agent of
change in the competitive and dynamic international school setting.
When thinking of my own problem solving skills, I refer to Stephen Coveys
work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, especially the habits of being proactive
and beginning with the end in mind. I reflect on my first year of teaching and my constant
improvement of my class behavior plan. I knew the desired outcome: well-behaved
children. I was proactive; I researched trends and recent research and observed veteran
colleagues. As Ramsey (2006) says I would plan, try, test, adjust, and plan again (107).
I continued this process until we finally met our desired goal. Effective leaders are goaloriented, persistent, and multiscenario thinkers so that they can solve problems and make
meaningful decisions for the school community.

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Passion for student learning and advocacy for your school and the profession of
education are important for the success of an effective leader. Domain VII in the Teacher
Leader Model Standards (Teacher Leadership, 2011) states a teacher leader advocates
for student needs and for practices that support effective teaching and increase student
learning, and serves as an individual of influence and respect within the school,
community, and profession (p. 20). There is no leader and teacher in a school that is not
passionate about the children they teach and the future our students hold. As an active
member in the school and the greater community, teacher leaders use their passion and
channel it for the best interest of their students and teachers. They stay aware of recent
international trends and research in our profession and secure important resources to
improve student learning.
I am a direct representative and advocate not only for our school, but also
for student learning and growth. I believe in the mission of our school and the vision of
success for our students in the future. Through professional development and the research
and use of best practices, I provide resources, data, and differentiated opportunities for
the success of the every individual child in my class. As a future leader of a school, I will
continue to reflect and support effective teaching in every single classroom for every
single student.
Authenticity, commitment, the ability to problem solve, and passion are
some of the qualities all effective leaders need and that I believe I embody. Through my
work in this course and future work throughout this masters program, I will continue to
grow and develop as a leader. I look forward to modeling these leadership traits and other
important skills and strategies in leadership opportunities today and in the future.

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

References
Ramsey, R. D. (2006). Lead, follow or get out of the way: How to be a more effective
leader in todays schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium. (2011). Teacher Leader Model Standards.

Retrieved from
http://www.teacherleaderstandards.org/downloads/TLS_Brochure_sm.pdf